Week of washouts taxes schedules

April 29, 2011

Many of us still remember that nursery rhyme. But high school athletic directors, coaches and players across the Upper Peninsula hope the rain stays away for a while, if not through the first week of June when the spring season ends.

Today's weather is sunny with a projected high in the upper-50s. Prep teams throughout the U.P. are taking advantage of the nice weather and competing in everything from golf to girls softball.

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CRAIG?REMSBURG

The Marquette American Legion Blues even moved up Saturday's scheduled doubleheader with visiting Hancock to today in anticipation of poor weather Saturday.

But this week has seen a washout for local athletic events. Nearly every scheduled event Tuesday through Thursday was postponed - or canceled altogether - due to rain, snow and/or cold temperatures.

Longtime Negaunee High School athletic director Mark Marana has been working overtime to reschedule postponed NHS events.

"We're doing our best," he said Thursday after three more Miners' events were postponed. "But it's hard. The weather has thrown a wrench at us.

"With spring sports, there's such a small window to work with (in rescheduling). The (available) dates have shrunk right down. We don't have much wiggle room."

Prep track meets are perhaps the most difficult to reschedule. Not only does an A.D. have to find an open date for the 1-4 teams he or she originally planned to host, but enough workers need to be secured to run the meet.

Prep baseball and softball games are also difficult to reschedule. You don't want a team playing four or five nights in a week. It taxes your entire lineup, especially your pitching staff.

We're going to get postponements with spring sports in the U.P. It's inevitable. We see our share of bad weather now through early June.

We're even going to see a few events canceled with no make-up date. It's a given.

But these past few days - and even earlier - have taxed peninsula A.D.'s, coaches and players itching to get the spring athletic season into full swing.

Any future postponements will make an already bad situation even worse.

The good news is, the weather forecast for the first few days of next week is mostly rain-free. If only it continues for a while.